What's the deal with Thinblades?

[cignus_pfaccari]

Well, the Improved Weapon Familiarity feat wouldn't grant you proficiency with those weapons unless you already had proficiency with all martial weapons. For anybody else, the exotic weapon proficiency feat is better unless you have difficulty meeting the +1 base attack bonus prereq.

Of course. But it's often worth it to take a class that grants proficiency with all martial weapons anyway for a variety of reasons depending on build. I typically discount the requirement for martial weapon proficiency, simply because any character I'd build that'd take IWF would already have proficiency with all martial weapons.

By the way, where's a Courtblade from?

As Testament said. It's effectively a greatsword with 18-20/x2 threat range, and does slashing and piercing. It also counts as a greatsword for purposes of Weapon Focus, Specialization, and Improved Critical feats; i.e., if you have those feats for greatsword, they'll work with the Courtblade.

The Thinblade and Lightblade both use any WF, WS, and IC feats you have with rapier, BTW.

Brad

 

[Cabral]

The Thinblade and Lightblade both use any WF, WS, and IC feats you have with rapier, BTW.

That's new. when did this happen?

I suppose that opens up the argument that if you are proficient with the rapier (ie, most elves) and take Improved Weapon Familiarity feat, you should become proficient with the thinblade and lightblade. (and same is true for courtblade if you are proficient with greatswords)

Hmm...

 

[Testament]

That's new. when did this happen?

I suppose that opens up the argument that if you are proficient with the rapier (ie, most elves) and take Improved Weapon Familiarity feat, you should become proficient with the thinblade and lightblade. (and same is true for courtblade if you are proficient with greatswords)

Hmm...

Complete Adventurer and Races of the Wild both mention it. It also applies to several other advanced weapon forms such as the Heavy Poleaxe, Greatspear and Warmace.

 

[DanMcS]

Complete Adventurer and Races of the Wild both mention it. It also applies to several other advanced weapon forms such as the Heavy Poleaxe, Greatspear and Warmace.

Complete Adventurer introduces that rule (I call it weapon similarity, they don't really name it), but it doesn't mention any elven lightblade type weapons.

Are the thinblades from Complete Warrior? CAdv has a list of "similarity" weapons from CW, and thinblade isn't on it. It lists:
Blowgun, greater
Bolas, Barbed
Greatbow
Greatspear
Pick, dire
Poleaxe, heavy
Warmace.

Looks like thinblade was specifically excluded from that list.

 

[aceofgames]

My group houseruled something on this:
Thinblades and lightblades are used in place of longswords and rapiers in the case of elven proficiency.
At the time we created the rule, the party was all elves... and the rule made sense.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Looks like thinblade was specifically excluded from that list.

It's mentioned in the weapon descriptions in Races of the Wild, p. 166.

Brad

 

[Caliban]

That's new. when did this happen?

It was added in Races of the Wild.

I suppose that opens up the argument that if you are proficient with the rapier (ie, most elves) and take Improved Weapon Familiarity feat, you should become proficient with the thinblade and lightblade. (and same is true for courtblade if you are proficient with greatswords)

Hmm...

Not really. It would be a good house rule, but it's definitely not a core rule. Improved Weapon familiarity only makes them martial weapons, it does not make "Martial Proficiency Rapier" identical to "Martial Proficiency Thinblad". Despite their similarities, they are two different weapons.